Fantasy sports have never been my thing. While I understand the basic concept, I don’t really know how they work, and I’ve never seen the appeal. I’m not sure that anyone who knows me well would believe me if I told them I would take up a fantasy venture. But that’s just what I’m planning to do — 2021 will be my year of fantasy birding.
Fantasy birding began in 2019 as a game for “armchair naturalists of all ages and interest levels,” as the website expounds. Participants can choose from various games, but the gist is that fantasy birders plan their birding trips by choosing a hotspot for a specific date, and then the program uses eBird data to populate the participant’s checklist. You can use historical data, current weather predictions, and more to help you choose the ideal birding spot for “seeing” the most species each day.
I’ve been interested in doing a virtual Big Year since late 2019 when a friend of mine told me that she and her husband were considering doing one themselves. However, the whole process felt a little intimidating to me, so I started slowly by participating in a virtual Big Day. I created my free account, joined a game, selected my route, and waited for the Big Day to arrive. In total, I reigned in 59 species — not too fruitful but more than I saw in my backyard!
What my experiment really drove home, however, is that there’s nothing to lose by fantasy birding. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about bird ID and bird patterns while removing the constraints of time, money, and other accessibility issues. I can explore birding hotspots from the comfort of my own home and with my bird-loving three-year-old on my lap.
I’m looking forward to my continued journey in the fantasy birding arena. Because I live and work in Michigan, I’ve decided to do a Michigan Big Year, so each of my hotspots will be in Michigan and could feature birds recorded by one of you! Please follow my virtual Big Year journey through monthly updates on the Michigan Audubon blog or start your fantasy birding adventure and look for me on the scoreboards. You can find me under the username “lcain” with a Turkey Vulture as my avatar.
~by Lindsay Cain, Michigan Audubon education coordinator
This article appeared in the 2021 Winter Jack Pine Warbler. Featured photo: Purple Martin. Photo by Keith Kingdon | APA
Lindsay Cain is Michigan Audubon’s education coordinator. If you are interested in learning more about our events, workshops, presentations, or event sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lindsay at 517.580.7364 or [email protected].